People in News - Part 1

For me, 2007 had been a year of learning the nuances of press photography. One of the things with working in a daily newspaper is getting the images of people making the news, especially at the moment they make news!

And if the story revolves around global terrorism, then you can expect a horde of journalists there. This was during July 2007 and I was then working at Bangalore Mirror. A terrorist attack had taken place at Glasgow airport, with the alleged bomber being dead, his brother and cousin who were continents apart were suspects now. Doctor Haneef, the cousin of the 'Glasgow Bomber' was detained in Australia. Firdous, the wife of Dr. Haneef and their newly born child were in Bangalore city. Also in the city were Haneef's mother and brother. And that led to world media's attention to Bangalore city for nearly a month. Haneef's mother and brother were not interacting with the media. It was his wife who became a regular spokesperson during the entire ordeal.

Most of us spent those months camping on the street where Firdous lived. Every time a development took place in Haneef's case in Australia, Firdous was immediately asked to give a response to the media. This led to a series of impromptu press conferences arranged at the gate of her parental bungalow in Bangalore.

All the newspapers, TV channels and news agencies needed the visuals of this family. They were after all 'the people in news' then. One had to literally fight with one another to get a suitable vantage point to capture the visuals. I sometimes took up a sniper like position to experiment and get a different image, rather than a monotonous close-up portrait. But, you can't have this luxury all the time:-)

Fast forward to 29th July 2007

All charges against Dr Haneef were dropped and he was returning home a free man. There were media persons everywhere. At airports, in the same aircraft as his, on the roads, outside his in-laws' home and, also inside their home. I was one among the countless photographers stationed inside their home trying to document in images the frenzied moments. The truth was that media persons outnumbered the relatives inside the house:-). Here are a series of news photographs made by me (we were there till 2 a.m in the morning) as and when he arrived home that late evening.

Seen in this photograph is Firdous Arshiya, wife of Dr Haneef dressed up to welcome her husband. Dr Mohammed Haneef after being freed from all charges related to Glasgow Terror blasts was returning from Australia with his cousin Imran and was to arrive at his Father-in-Law's home at BTM Layout in Bangalore late night on Sunday, 29th July 2007.

Relatives of Doctor Haneef waiting on the terrace with rose petals to welcome him home.


Doctor Haneef stepping out of the car amidst media frenzy at his Father-in-law's home.


Doctor Haneef being welcomed with flowers amidst media frenzy, as he arrives at his Father-in-law's home.


Doctor Haneef managing to step inside his Father-in-law's home amidst scenes of media frenzy.

Doctor Haneef being escorted inside by his cousin Imran.

Relatives of Doctor Haneef are excited to get a first glimpse of him after his return to India.


Doctor Haneef smiles and waves for the media cameras for the first time after his arrival at his in-laws' residence.


Doctor Haneef and his relatives having a discussion while media persons wait for him speak.


Doctor Haneef reads out a written speech that was handed to him by his cousin, after which he was rushed to a room away from the media.


Irony with this assignment was that, my newspaper was a compact/tabloid. And the deadline for the pages to be sent for the printing press was 10:00 p.m. Doctor Haneef arrived well past 10.. So these images remain unpublished.....

To Amma

Taarammaiyya, Thandu Thorammaiyya
Doorada Baanige yerida chandrana,
Taarammaiyya, Thandu Thorammaiyya

Nine of Amma's (my maternal grandmother was fondly called as Amma by everyone who knew her) children and few of her fortunate grandchildren (including me) have spent their cradle years listening to this Kannada lullaby every night before being rocked into a sound sleep.

Amma passed away last Sunday morning, after half a decade of battling the problems of aging. Amma was in her early nineties. Over the years, she had lost her memory, vision and strength, and had been confined to her bed and chair till her last day. Though our family has been bereaved of a loved one, it should be noted that Amma's sufferings have come to an end. She didn't deserve this phase in life where she had lost her independence and right to a life with dignity. My fond recollections of her, dates back to the time when I visited our village every year during the summer holidays. This was the time when there used to be plenty of cattle, hen, dogs and cats in our farm. Images of her walking in the farm with a fistful of grains and calling out to the hens and chickens, "Baa.. baa.." , never seem to fade from my memory.

When it comes to Amma and my photography, I think I was quite late in picking up my camera. By the time I began to indulge in photojournalism and documentary photography, Amma had passed her graceful years and had slipped in to a life in oblivion.

Couple of years back I visited Amma and Ajja's (grandpa) home with a SLR camera loaded with a black and white film. I was seeing Amma after a longtime and she had shrunk in size by then. With her memory caught in a time warp, she had lost touch with day-to-day happenings. Her eyes were giving away too. She could barely make out who or what was in front of her. Sometimes she used to speak about her father and her childhood home. And she had expressed her desire to meet her father, who was no-more. It was heartbreaking to see her in such a situation. But even in this condition, her motherly instincts were still strong. If she was eating something, say a banana, and if she could make out a figure moving around in the room, she would promptly offer a piece of whatever was on the plate to the person in the room.

Most of the times when left alone, she would get into a cycle of singing prayers. A prayer would be followed by her joining hands and bowing to the almighty. And this cycle would continue until somebody interrupted and diverted her attention. It was during one of those prayer sessions by the window, I stepped into the room with my camera. By then I had clicked portraits off Ajja and others in the house. But seeing Amma in the viewfinder, I somehow couldn't shoot her picture. The face of Amma one has in their minds is from her healthier and jovial days. I was stuck in a dilemma. I began to wonder if it would be rude of me to document her in this state. But, I had to have Amma's picture in my album. So, in that moment of dilemma I framed a silhouette of what Amma did the most in her later years...... pray. A prayer in her own world.

HERE IT’S 5 PUSH-UPS FOR EVERY 4

At an ongoing inter-school cricket tournament, the boys of Bishop Cotton School embarked on a novel method to juice themselves up when playing against weak teams: A self-inflicted penalty for every boundary conceded.

Narcissistic and full of piss. That is what you normally associate cricketers with, even amateur or budding ones in this cricket-mad nation. But self-flagellation as a means to a sporting end? Well, the Bishop Cotton School’s boys seem to have just patented a new mantra or motivation. Of course, it was something to be seen to be believed.

An inter-school cricket match is in progress, and the batting team which is under pressure scores a rare boundary. This brings cheer in the dressing room of the batting team, and even as those on the benches indulge in high-fives and fist pumping, the fielding side enacts a different ritual: Excluding the bowler, the remaining ten of them lower themselves onto the turf and do a series of five push-ups. This they repeat each time they concede a boundary. Now, you must be wondering why the main culprit, the bowler, has been reprieved! Not really, for the best has been reserved for the last. For, at the end of the innings the poor fellow has to do it all cumulatively, five push-ups into the number of boundaries he has conceded.

STARTING FROM SCRATCH

Bishop Cotton comfortably won Wednesday’s game in the Boost Cup U-16 inter-school cricket tournament at the YMCA Grounds. Not that the result was ever in doubt. To the contrary, the whole push-up regimen they went through was because of the remorse they were feeling for having to play against teams much below their capability. They had in fact been relegated from the elite group of 16 city schools who would automatically qualify for the tournament’s second phase.

As this year’s Cottonian Shield winners and last year’s BTR Shield champions, the Bishop Cotton Boys High School cricket team has been in the elite stage of the Boost Cup (the tournament is played in two stages) for so many years. Last year, due to one freak defeat owing to a walk over - the match date clashed with their exams - they were relegated to the first round of the tournament. Hence, this year the team had to start their quest for the title from scratch, by playing against a series of teams which they believe are well below them.

MAKING AMENDS

Anil Dutt, the head of the sports department of the school believes that the team does not deserve to be playing in the first round. “Since the inception of the two stages of this tournament conducted by KSCA, our school has always been in the elite stage. But due to last year’s unfortunate forfeiture, we were relegated from the elite stage. I wanted them to play in a disciplined manner and keep up their morale when playing against lower-rung sides. I want them to believe that they are amongst the top four teams of the tournament. So, I told them that they must punish themselves every time the opposition scored a boundary,” he explained. But even he didn’t believe his boys would take his word literally.

MAKING SHORT WORK

On Wednesday morning, Anil ‘sir’ wished his team luck at the YMCA grounds before their match against BBUL Jain Vidyalaya and headed back to school. Samarth, the team captain, decided to enforce a penalty for his entire team including himself whenever their opponents scored a boundary. According to Samarth, “I told the boys that for the entire first round of this tournament, for every boundary scored by the opponents, irrespective of whose mistake it was, the entire team had to instantly perform five push-ups on the field. The bowler had to perform the push-ups after the over was completed or after match ended.”

In the event, they shot out the opposition for just 30 runs, a good ten runs more than they had intended to. But there was more to come. “We believed that we are too good for these teams. So we reversed our batting order. The tailenders went out as openers,” Samarth said. Some hubris that?

No matter, for the result said it all. The Cottonians went on to register a nine-wicket victory. Now, shouldn’t our, at times, over-glorified Men in Blue take a cue from these school boys?

Don't want to fade away like the Red Indians

A Young Tibetan youth sporting a T-Shirt with picture of Ernesto Che Guevara and screaming Anti-China slogans. China, a communist country and Che, a legendary guerrilla hero whose beliefs lied in communism. A contradiction? Maybe not. Maybe it signifies the warning bells. A 49 year old movement is at cross roads when the baton is handed down to the third generation of refugees....

"We Don't want to fade away like the Red Indians", says 26 years old Tenzin Tsethar, an analyst at an Insurance firm in the city. Tsethar is a Tibetan who had joined his fellow countrymen (living as refugees across India), thousands in numbers, at a peace march which was arranged today from Chikkalalbagh to M G Statue to protest against the recent Chinese crackdown on Tibetans in Lhasa. 10th of March this year marked the 49th anniversary of Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation. Pro Tibet demonstrations at Lhasa resulted in large scale violence with Chinese armed forces coming down heavily on the protesters. The continuing tension there has suddenly spurted a growth in Pro-Tibetan demonstrations across the world including Bangalore.

The protesters at Bangalore comprised of a mix of Tibetan refugees from all walks of life ranging from old monks from monasteries to youth growing up in city. Tsethar along with few other Tibetan colleagues joined in the entire day's demonstration in spite of not getting an official paid leave sanctioned. He says, "I am not bothered about my job being in jeopardy. I am more concerned about the lives of Tibetans in Lhasa which is in real jeopardy". His views are shared by Tenzin Pasang, a 21 year old woman living the BPO dream of Bangalore. Pasang says, "Since the moment we heard about the violence that broke out in Lhasa, we haven't had peace of mind. We live as refugees in India but we feel a sense of freedom here. But, our brothers and sisters back in Tibet enjoy no freedom. In every Tibetan house in India, you'll find two things in common. One, the Tibetan national flag and the other, a portrait of his Holiness Dalai Lama. You can't find the same thing back in Lhasa as Chinese army will arrest you if they come to know of it". Pasang has five other Tibetan colleagues at her BPO. They all work in the morning shift between 4:00 am and 1:00 p.m. Since March 10th, they have all actively been taking part during the evenings after work, in political activities leading to the peace march in the city. Being deprived of adequate rest is of no significance to them.

Its been 49 years since Tibetans having been living as refugees in settlements across India. Today, the Tibetan youth seem to be increasingly becoming restless with the status quo and lack of support received from governments across the world. 21 years old students Tenzin Chodar and Tenzin Dablo agree that views of the third generation Tibetans are radically turning to be different from their predecessors. Dablo says, "Goals of all Tibetans maybe the same but the methods are turning to be different. In this age of You Tube, your blood will naturally boil when you watch videos of Buddhist nuns being tortured by the army of communist China".

What about their Indian colleagues and classmates? Do they discuss politics and share views with them? When asked this question, Chodar says, "Yes, some of our Indian friends show interest while others are not interested. They support us, encourage us and do give us ideas to carry on with protest. But they are unable to join us in protests as they have their own preoccupations in life".

The difference in views of the Tibetan leadership and youth is clearly indicated when you see the banners and placards carried by protesters which read out 'Freedom and independence for Tibet', while the leadership has been talking of political autonomy for Tibet under Chinese rule. Tsethar says that, "We respect the views of his Holiness. But today patience is running out amongst us. Political autonomy will be great, if not freedom for Tibet as a country, at least the Tibetans should be given cultural freedom which is missing as of now". The decision of IOC (International Olympic Committee) to let China host the 2008 summer Olympics has not gone down well too. Pasang says, "How can China host Olympics when it is committing human rights abuse in Tibet. Something has to be done to oppose it. If we youth do not voice opinion against it. Then who else will do so?"

The Tibetan youth in today's world are at cross roads. They say they are witnessing what they term as 'double standards' when it comes to self determination for a nation. They look at issues related to East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq and feel they have not enjoyed support from the world as China is a super power. There is a sense of disillusionment in their minds. Some of them seem to be giving up hope. 25 year old Tsering Dolkar is a Public Relations Officer with the Tibetan Women's Association. She says, "There is a difference in the way the Tibetan struggle for independence is looked at between the youth from settlement and those from cities. Generally, there is not much active involvement seen in today's youth from cities. There seems to be a denial. This probably is because the way the protests have been carried out over last 49 years (hunger strikes, peace march, candle light vigils) seem to less effective. Maybe, youth are losing hope due to this. There is a urgent need for change in the way we fight. But, the only way to change the system is by being part of it. That's why I am actively involved in politics. I want to try to bring about change. The youth must come forward with their ideas to keep the movement going on. The culture must not be lost. The original refugees in India were not educated. The next generation of Tibetans in exile had little education but did not have much opportunities. But now, the world seems to have opened up. Everyone wants to make use of the opportunities. You can't blame the youth for it. Everyone wants to lead a decent life. We can't apply for government jobs or buy property in India because we are having refugee status. That's why I see an increase in Tibetans who want to apply for Indian citizenship. The current situation at Lhasa has led to awakening amongst many Tibetans. The movement has gained momentum and people are coming forward and taking part now. The focus gained now, must not be lost. The United Nations must come forward to solve the issue".

There were few Indians taking part in the march. One of them on condition of anonymity said, "It is hurting to see that India and rest of the democratic world has not done much for the movement which is based on non-violence. I am afraid that at this rate there could be a day when the Tibetans may lose patience and the world may see armed groups of Tibetans. The world which has to take blame for it, if and when it happens". The anonymous prophecy's accuracy can only be confirmed by what lies ahead in future. But, the young generation of Tibetans are definitely seeking a change.

HER LONG DRIVE TO JUSTICE

You never know what sexual harassment does to a woman, do you? It made Venkata Lakshmi turn to the law books, while driving an auto to feed her family.

“She didn’t charge me a rupee more than the auto meter,” said an incredulous young girl who travelled in an auto in the city recently. She? Yes, the woman in question drives an auto, struggling to make a living in a man’s world. The auto driver-bit is, however, just one part of Venkata Lakshmi’s story.

As the sole breadwinner for the family, she is also studying law. And that’s not because she wants to move onto a white collar job. After a lifetime of surmounting odds that would have felled a lesser woman, Lakshmi’s interest in law stems from the determination that others don’t encounter the travails she has.


NEVER SAY DIE

Lakshmi was an all-rounder at school. The youngest of three siblings, she was encouraged in all she did, especially by her uncle Paniyam Shankar Murthy. She passed SSLC with a first class. Lakshmi’s first choice of career was the Indian Police Service. She enrolled for 1st PUC at MES College and joined NCC too. On a morning jog, she saw a child about to be hit by a speeding bus. She flung herself on the road and in the nick of time, saved the child. A bravery award is proof of her act.

She had barely started her BA when her mother asked her to get married. Lakshmi, determined to continue her studies, moved to a government college with nominal fees. She taught private tuitions and sold vegetables grown in her backyard to support her education.

However, she subsequently had to discontinue. Not willing to go down without a fight, she enrolled herself as an external candidate in open university and worked in a SSI unit.

The turning point came when some anti-social elements tried to kidnap her over a small issue. She took the legal route to justice and became embroiled in a nine-year court battle.

Eventually, she dropped her studies and focused on her job and the case. She says she was repeatedly pressurised by police and politicians to give up the case and compromise with the culprits. She lost respect for the policing profession, which had captured her imagination once.


WEDDING BELLS

She finally agreed to get married to a man her mother had chosen for her. But after the wedding date was fixed, the dowry issue came up. The wedding was called off after all preparations. A family friend later introduced her to Rajendra, a welder who was then working in UAE. They got married.

Their daughter was born within the first year of marriage. With not enough income and job security from welding, Lakshmi’s husband bought an auto and started driving it. Lakshmi got a loan under Pradhanmantri Rozgar Yojana and started a canteen and catering business from home. With another loan, she built a floor above their house and leased it out.


MORE TROUBLE

But the repayment of loans soon became a burden and Lakshmi’s husband returned to Dubai. The auto was hired out to a driver. All was going well until her neighbour started harassing her. Her neighbour, Balaji Singh, wanted to have an affair. She flatly refused.

But he started pressuring her from various quarters. Her tenants moved out. The final blow was BESCOM shutting down her catering business as she had no commercial power supply at home. Exasperated, she got a driver’s license and started driving the auto. It’s been five years and it is now the only source of income for her family.


BACK TO COLLEGE

To escape her neighbour, she sold her house and moved to a rented place with her daughter. “If I had a good financial status and if I was a qualified professional like a doctor, advocate or engineer, then my family and I could lead a better life. With my arts background, I decided to pursue a degree in law. I approached the then principal of Babu Jagjeevan Ram Law College,” she explains.

She says she was initially apprehensive as she was already 31 years old. But looking at her educational background and her motivation, the principal and one of the lecturers, advocate Nagaraj, encouraged her to pursue her education there.

Everyday, she leaves home early in the morning, drops her daughter to school, and then ferries Bangaloreans till late morning and then goes to college. “I miss many classes. But the college administration has pardoned me. Friends help by sharing notes. I have completed four semesters with second class grades and without failing
in any subject so far,” she says.

Her lecturer Nagaraj says, “She has managed to pass in all subjects with good grades. She is motivated. The college is not in a position to give her a fee concession. If she is able to attend classes regularly, I am sure she can score better in exams.”

Meanwhile, her husband has returned to India. Welding has affected his sight and he can’t drive an auto. He says, “I am not educated and we have a daughter who goes to school. It will be better if at least one parent is educated. I am happy that my wife is studying law.”

Lakshmi has five more semesters to go. If the grit she has shown till now is any indication, expect her to don her robes in less than three years!

(Note: If you think you can help lakshmi in anyway, then please feel free to contact me)

IN SEARCH OF AN ALMOST-MYTH

"We were told Ombattu Gudda didn’t exist. 28 kms and two days later, we live to tell the tale that it does."

"A piece of advice to future visitors to Ombattu Gudda: Don’t go to this place without a map and a compass if you want to return to civilization on Monday. Get map# 48 P/9/NW from Survey of India office in Bangalore. For happy hippies, this is paradise. You don’t need to work hard to get lost."

This is what you learn if you search for information on ‘Ombattu Gudda trek’ on independent trekkers’ blogs. Other blogs say ‘Villagers say Ombattu Gudda does not exist’ or many travelogues that end something like, ‘We finally failed to reach Ombattu Gudda’ or ‘We were chased by wild elephants and bears’.

These stories about Ombattu udda excited me and five of my techie friends to plan for a weekend trek to Ombattu Gudda. Armed with a GPS (Global Positioning System) device, a hand drawn map and our rations for the two-day trek we set off in conquest of Ombattu Gudda.

Ombattu Gudda in Kannada means nine hills. It is a hill range and the peak measures 971 metres above sea level. Located amidst the dense forests of the Western Ghats, it borders Hassan and Chikmagalur districts. It is named for the nine prominent humps on top, almost in a straight line.

The hill range is known for it’s wildlife, especially elephants and bears. The traditional entry point to this trek is Gundya town and the exit point is Hoskere village near Mudigere. The trek lived up to its reputation of being a tough and exhausting one.


THE JOURNEY...

An over-night bus journey from Bangalore got us to Sakleshpur in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

We, rather brilliantly, got off the bus at the Sakleshpur bus stand and not at the town where cabs to Gundya are available. This meant a two km trek back with our rucksacks along the highway —on a freezing morning. On reaching town, we stuffed ourselves into a Maruti Omni heading towards Gundya.

The road from Sakleshpur to Gundya — the infamous Shirdi Ghat highway — might as well be on the moon, if only for the craters! And the car we were in, hit a huge stone slab head-on but continued for two hours to Gundya. After a tea break around 6:15 am, we began our trek. The initial phase of the trek was easy with a clearly laid out path through the forest cutting across many small streams. Elephant dung dotted the entire path. We kept a lookout for the herd all set to sprint in the opposite direction. The path runs close to Kabbinale river.

The river bank called us to stop for some breakfast and rest. We did! Crossing the river was an adventure in itself. Pants folded, shoes catapulted to the opposite bank, we stumbled on slippery rocks to the other side. After few hours of trekking, the path got narrower and the forest grew denser. Worse, we were running out of water. So remember this when you head out. Only in the beginning of this route will you have plenty of water supply. The moment you cross the Kabbinale river, all that is left is the water you carry.





TECHNICAL ERROR


To make matters worse, our GPS device failed, thanks to the thick canopy of trees. We finally realised that we were lost! After long discussions, we decided to continue the trek to the summit. So we went ahead making our way through bamboo massacre sites, the work of wild elephants. Every now and then, fresh elephant dung got us on our toes, as did the venomous viper that hissed past us. We pushed ourselves on.

On reaching a small clearing, we stopped for a quick lunch and some rest. We pondered over the map cluelessly and got some help from the GPS occassionally. Soon, we reached a point with a 70 degree climb ahead of us. We made our way through slippery rocks and stones. Overhanging vines tripped us and thorny bushes scratched us, It was exhausting, but we continued to cramble up.

We had to make it to the grasslands on Ombattu Gudda before sunset as spending a night in the thicket would have been very dangerous. We took regular breaks to rest our bodies, which were on verge of dehydration due to limited water supply. After hours of climbing uphill, we finally saw the grasslands of Ombattu Gudda. We had trekked nearly 15 kms in a single day.


We had a pleasant surprise awaiting us. No, there was no resort with soft beds, water and hot food. But our cell phones worked! So we called up home to let our families know we were alive. We spent the night on the grasslands just below the peak.

After an early dinner, we lined up our sleeping bags and slept under a clear, starry night sky. We identified a couple of constellations and said a prayer to keep us safe from wild animals and then, we were fast asleep.







FINALLY...

The next morning, we trekked over the nine humps for three kilometres, and made it to the peak of Ombattu Gudda. It was a moment of accomplishment for the six of us. We had joined the exclusive club of successful Ombattu Gudda trekkers.

Then we headed down. Making our way through 400 metres of thicket till we saw the jeep tracks. Ah! Signs of civilisation! Five kilometres along the jeep track took us to the heart of Lakshmi Saraswati Estate.

If you get lucky, you might get to meet the owner who might help you get a jeep ride to Hoskere. With our luck, he wasn’t there. That meant another five kilometres to Hoskere village. At Hoskere, we hired a jeep to the town of Mudigere, where we got a bus to Bangalore. Two days and 28 km later, we were back home — bruised, tired and tanned! Happy to have conquered the mythical hill.

From Uzbekistan with love

All credits to the Bangalore's infamous rush hour traffic jam, I reached Palace grounds an hour later than the scheduled time I was to meet the 'Russian artists', who are in the city as part of the travelling Jumbo Circus troupe. My worst fears were true; most of the artists who were initially waiting for me, had left the camp and were to arrive later. That left me with two artists, Alem jaan and Gul Sanam. Both, Alem and Gul were in India for the first time and they knew very few words in English and Hindi. And I could speak only one foreign language, English. What followed for the next hour can be best described as three people lost in translation and making attempts to break barriers of language to communicate.

From the initial introduction, I realized that they were actually from Uzbekistan and not from Russia as mentioned earlier. Further, the other 'Russian' artists in the troupe were Uzbeks too. They were are all artists from the famous Tashkent Circus in Uzbekistan and were in India on a contract. It is due to Indian audience's continued romanticising of Russian artists since the days of Raj Kapoor's movie, 'Mera Naam Joker', that these artists are labelled as Russian artists by the Indian circuses for business reasons. These artists however no qualms about it as they share a common history with Russia. Uzbekistan and Russia were both part of USSR before its disintegration into separate independent nations.


Alem and Gul were preparing lunch for their mates when I sat about to interview them. They were preparing Chuchvara, which is flour dumplings stuffed with minced beef meat and is considered to be Uzbekistan's national dish. Gul Sanam is a 27 year old woman who has been in the circus field for the last seven years. She is in India accompanied by her 3 year old daughter, Zyara Baano. Gul along with Alem Jaan and two other Uzbek artists in the troupe are horse riding artists from Tashkent Circus. And the show of this quartet has become quite popular among circus goers in India.

There was a TV playing a Hindi movie in their kitchen. Probably, their learning of Hindi happens by watching television programes. Alem, is a 20 year old man who has been in the circus life for last two years. Prior to being a circus artist he used to be a shopkeeper in a market in Tashkent. It has been a quite switch of career for him from being a shopkeeper in an alley in Uzbekistan to a horse riding artist in India. My attempt at asking Alem if he was married, didn't give me the answer I was hoping for but instead it gave me an insight into the Uzbekistan's cuisine. The word 'Marriage' was unknown to Alem and the closest rhyming word to his ears was the Hindi word 'Mirchi' (Chilly). Alem told me that back in Uzbekistan, they prefer less spicy food and in India he is making attempts to get used to Chillies in everything that is served to him. But Gul understood what my question was, and we had a hearty laugh when she said that Alem was still a 'bachcha' or a kid to get married.

These artists were jovial people and seemed to love Indian culture a lot. A personality trait one would associate with a horse rider from a place like Uzbekistan would be that of a rough and tough warrior from one of the Russian folktales you would have heard off as bed time stories as a child. Alem was swinging to the tunes of a 'Jab we met' track which I was playing on my laptop. While little Zyara was glued to my laptop and camera, Gul told me that she has watched quite a bit of Hindi movies back home. She recollects having watched Shahruk Khan starrer 'Baazigar', and like many young Indian girls, she confessed that she was a fan of Bollywood heartthrob, Salmaan Khan. Learning of a foreign language and culture is a long process but slowly these people were blending among the locals. One of the local artists who passed by their tent greeted them by saying 'Hello' to which Gul replied in Indian word 'Namashkaar'.

Coming from a country where 88% of the people are followers of Islam like her, Gul is an example of how liberal the Uzbek society. Nobody questioned her when she chose a profession which is usually considered a man's domain. Even her husband, a horse rider like her, never opposed her decision to be a circus artist and never object her coming to India with their daughter. She indicates that if she ever leave circus she might want to take up a job as a driver or learn computers as she fascinated by cars and computers.


The game of trying to overcome language barriers would have continued for long but we were soon joined by 16 year Ubaidullah, the third member of the quartet who has been in India for a while and could converse in Hindi. Ubaid, as he is fondly referred to, was never interested in studies. He spent a major portion of childhood days playing football. Football is a popular sport in Uzbekistan along with 'Kurash', a wrestling like sport peculiar to this region. Uzbekistan has a strong national football team and Ubaid was no doubt in love with this game. When he was 10 years old, seeing his lack of interest in studies, his father who was a driver in Tashkent circus asked him if wanted to make a living with circus. He then decided to give it a try. On his first visit he instantly fell in love with the horses and since that day he has never looked back. His burning ambition is to be a master in horse riding someday. He told me that intends to go back to Tashkent soon and join the Tashkent Circus College to perfect his skills.

A college for circus! That was something never heard in India. Circus is a respected art in Russia and Uzbekistan. Tashkent and Moscow circuses are some of the most famous circuses of the region. Unlike India where circuses are travelling in nature, these circuses are permanently housed in a location with a with full-fledged infrastructure for artists and animals. The artists from Russia and the new central Asian countries are most sought after by the circuses across the world. And to live up to the legendary reputation, the governments in these countries have set up colleges to train the budding artists before sending them across the world as ambassadors of their art.

Both, Ubaid and Alem have hairdo in copper shade. When asked if it was their natural colour, Ubaid said that actual hair color was black but Indian circus goers associate copper color of hair with a 'Russian artist' and hence they have colored it with that shade. This generalization in the minds of the masses can again be attributed to the Hindi film, 'Mera Naam Joker'. It was surprising to hear that the movie was very popular in Uzbekistan. Ubaid said that, back home he has a video disc of this movie and he has watched it nearly a hundred times! Ubaid loves Raj Kapoor's role in the movie and tells that a popular belief in Uzbekistan which makes the movie popular, is that a lot of Uzbek actors have played minute roles in that movie.

Ubaid is very much like any India boy of his age. He loves computer games and gadgets. Seeing my laptop he was curious to know if there were any games in it. I more than happy to lend my laptop to him for a round of virtual pinball game while clicked photographs of him and his troupe. Ubaid loved performing in Kerala the whole of last year.He says he liked the places like Kannur,kollam and trivandrum. Last time he had purchased sarees for his mother. This time from Bangalore he plans to buy lot of gifts for his family back home. Mobile phone for his dad and an MP3 players for his brothers are top of his shopping list.

Ubaid shared his experience of training to be a horse rider. For a year his master would have a 'lonja' , a long rope whose end would be tied around his waist while the other end was in his master's hand. Ubaid used to ride the horse in circles while the lonja would ensure his safety from fatal falls. He remembers having fallen quite a few times but he was lucky enough to escape with few bruises. Alem and Gul too had similar experiences while they studied at Tashkent circus.


We were later joined by Sanjaar, the fourth member of the quartet of Uzbek horsemen and along with him was their group manager in India. People were referring to their manager as Bahadur and hence I mistook him to be a Nepali. He told me that his actual name was Eshmatov Bahodir Batirovich and people in India began calling him by his middle name which was rhyming with hindu name Bahadur. Hence for the last four years people in Indian circus scene know him as Bahadur. Bahodir is the only member of the team who can speak English. Bahodir's origins too is attributed to Tashkent circus where his uncle is a director. He initially had a office job in circus and after few years he was offered the job to be a group director for the troupe which was sent to India.



Bahodir gave an insight to how and why the artists from Uzbekistan come to India. He said, "Tashkent circus is owned by the government of Uzbekistan. The circus there does not run for huge collections by ticket sales. Its a permanent circus and circus is a revered art in Uzbek and Russian culture. The government gets invites from circuses outside their country for artists to perform in their locations. It is the government which takes the call and provides opportunities for artists from Tashkent circus to travel to outside circuses. The main reasons for artists to perform in foreign countries is not money as most people mistake it to be so. Its or the fame and experience that one gets to boast of. In our region a circus artist is respected for his experience in number of years of performances and also for the places he has travelled to. The preferred destination for artists is Japan and Monte Carlo. Then come India and China". He further adds, "Every artist from Uzbekistan will have to study through Tashkent Circus. They put in 2 to 4 years of training there and after which they get absorbed into Tashkent circus. In the circus they are put under care of mentors who observe their work and decide when they can start performing on their own. Tashkent and Moscow circuses can be called as factory circuses. They produce artists and also create new types of shows for the world circus".

According to Bahodir, the reason for popularity of horsemen from their region is because one of the founders of Tashkent Circus was a horseman. Also, the Almata horses from central asia are one of the most expensive and fast horses in the world. The almata horses could be priced anywhere close to 10,000 US dollars and are in demand worldwide. Hence, in demand are these brave horsemen who have experience of riding almata horses.

Bahodir, is married to a Lasso artist (another circus art) from Uzbekistan. His wife is a christian while he is a Muslim. He reiterates that Uzbek society is one of the liberal societies of the world. There will not be much of fuss when there is any inter-religious marriage. He cheekily adds on that when his children grow up they are free to marry anyone. They can marry a Muslim or a christian, or even a Hindu. Bahodir has spent 4 years in India bringing in managing new group artists from Uzbekistan every now and then. He says that there have been many memorable experiences in this country which he will take back with him. He loved small towns and villages of India than big cities. And he is sure that his horsemen will have a great time in India too.

While Uzbek artists went to put on the costumes for their show, I was hosted by Bahodir for lunch. I was treated with a plate of Chuchvara, which Alem and Gul had prepared while i was interviewing them. I must add that the Uzbek horse riders are not just good artists, but also good cooks.